MINI COUNTRYMAN ELECTRIC

The Mini Cooper’s practical EV cousin is quite an impressive take

- BENJAMIN GRACIAS

It's hard to imagine the words India, practicality and Mini in the same sentence. Sure, the Mini Cooper is practical to a certain extent but you buy the sporty hatchback for its individualism and fun quotient rather than its versatility. However Mini does have a practical car, rather, SUV up its sleeve and it's called the Countryman. The British carmaker recently launched the third-generation Countryman in India that too in EV guise. Brought in via the CBU route, the mid-size SUV is priced bang in the middle of other sizeable EV competitors like the BMW iX1, Hyundai Ioniq5, Mercedes-Benz EQA and both the Volvo XC40 Recharge and C40 Recharge. While the Mini Countryman Electric does have the upper hand in individualism here, does the EV powertrain enhance the niche SUV's practicality or take away from it?

Despite moving away from the traditional ICE powertrain the Countryman Electric is still instantly recognisable as a Mini. Dimension-wise it has grown and now makes the Mini nomenclature feel like an oxymoron, being larger than the Hyundai Creta. For 2024, the Countryman gets a complete redesign with a new face that's less conspicuous and more leaning towards an urban look. There is a hint of ruggedness in the design owing to the optional 19-inch wheels (17-inch as standard), front and rear skid plates and black cladding all around. British influence can be seen in the LED tail lamp that lights up in the shape of the Union Jack. What's more interesting is the use of copper accents instead of traditional chrome or brushed silver, which make it look more niche and premium.